


"10 Copper Pieces Say Sokka Wins"

by Eastern_Lights



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kya (Avatar) Lives, Kya ships Sukka, Sokka being stubborn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:08:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26010916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastern_Lights/pseuds/Eastern_Lights
Summary: After Kya was taken by the Fire nation, Hakoda gave his all to bring her back. However, all he found were the burned-down ruins of Kya's prison, a few charred bones and Kanna's necklace. Devastated, he returned home, having no idea he would see his wife again, five years later, at the Boiling rock. Now, at the Western Air temple, the family is back together, and Kya gets to meet some new people.ORKya and Suki bond over the men they love
Relationships: Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 70





	"10 Copper Pieces Say Sokka Wins"

Two days after the daring escape from the Boiling rock, after all the happy tears of reunion were shed and all the stories told, the ragtag group of fugitives and former war prisoners tried to busy themselves around the camp. For Aang and Zuko, the program was clear - firebending practice. The others were tempted to watch, but quickly found out that standing too close wasn't safe, let alone pleasant. The only one who stayed was Katara, since her skill at waterbending allowed her to observe without fear of getting her hair and clothes singed. Toph and Haru soon got into an excited debate about metalbending, and the the Duke's and Teo's laughter echoed throughout the Western Air temple as Chit Sang entertained them with the story of how he once scammed the governor of Yu Dao.   
Sokka, determined to show his mother how his fighting skills have improved, asked Hakoda for an unarmed sparring session. Unarmed, because Kya was somewhat worried that the two beloved idiots of hers would actually bash their skulls in otherwise.  
Now, she seated herself on a fallen pillar facing a large open area of the temple as Sokka and Hakoda got ready.  
Her husband had removed his tunic to give Sokka less opportunities to grab him. Kya regarded him for a moment. His interrogation by the Fire nation and subsequent captivity had left his body badly marked, but he was still the strong, handsome warrior she had missed for five years.  
Unwilling to give his father any advantage, Sokka quickly followed suit - and Kya immediately felt a pang of pain in her heart when she noticed that her sweet boy now wore a set of scars of his own. She had always known he'd become a warrior. Just not quite so soon.  
"May I join you?" came a voice from behind her. It was Suki, Sokka's "very good friend" as he had put it. Kya smiled and motioned for her to sit next to her. When she turned to look at her son again, she almost burst out laughing. Sokka had turned red as a squid-lobster and was looking longingly at his discarded tunic.  
Kya exchanged knowing looks with her husband, who then proceeded to take a fighting stance. When Sokka failed to notice that, he cleared his throat:  
"Sokka? Are you gonna look at your opponent, or is that rag somehow more dangerous than me?"  
Kya's son started, but composed himself immediately and entered a stance of his own.  
The fight was surprisingly evenly matched, because even though Hakoda was stronger and more experienced, Sokka was smaller and lighter and therefore more nimble. He dodged and struck gracefully, like water in a cold mountain stream.  
"He's grown so much," Kya murmured, "I wish I could have been there to see it."  
"You must be very proud," said Suki. Kya nodded, but her smile was filled with sadness.  
Then she took a deep breath:  
"Sometimes, I feel like I abandoned both him and Katara."  
Suki stared at her wide eyed, then shook her head.  
"It wasn't your fault you were captured!" she protested, "And Sokka certainly doesn't hold it against you. I don't think I've seen him happier than when he saw you again. I mean, he was _genuinely_ happy. You know, usually he laughs all the time, makes his stupid jokes, but..." she trailed off.  
Kya understood, even without words.  
"But inside he's hurting," she finished, "I see. Just like his father."  
"Why? What happened?" Suki asked.  
Kya let out a breath. She didn't want to recall it, especially knowing that her own son had to endure much the same.   
"Hakoda was the youngest son of chief Amaruq, by almost twelve years. You should have seen him - always in trouble, always pulling pranks."  
"I wondered where Sokka got that from," remarked Suki, which earned her a smile from the older woman. It disappeared quickly as she continued:  
"Then one day, when he was seventeen, his father and two brothers went to another village to discuss an alliance against the Fire nation. There was an attack, and they all came back in shrouds."  
"That's horrible," Suki murmured, shuddering.  
Kya nodded.  
"Hakoda didn't cry, didn't speak, just held his mother as she wept. He felt he had to be strong for her, and for his tribe,"  
She regarded her husband and their son for a moment before confessing:  
"I'm so proud that Sokka has the same strength, but I sorely wish he didn't need it."  
Kya turned to her companion and put a hand on her shoulder:  
"I'm glad he found you, Suki."  
"Don't worry, I'll look after him," the young warrior promised.  
The two sat back, content to rest, breathe the free air, and simply look at the men they loved. After a while, Suki startled Kya by jumping to her feet and shouting:  
"Move your feet faster, Sokka, I taught you better than this!"  
This comment earned her a shocked stare from Hakoda. In the next moment, the chief doubled over as Sokka managed to land a solid punch in his stomach. Kya winced and got up as well to see what sort of injury she was about to treat.  
"Oh, jeez, Dad, are you okay?" Sokka panicked, and put a hand on his father's shoulder "I didn't expect-"  
He was cut off as Hakoda, still in a crouch, charged forward and tackled him to the ground. After a brief battle, he had his squirming son in a choke-hold. He held the boy firmly, but obviously not enough to actually hurt him.  
"Do you yield?" the chief growled.  
"Never!" came the slightly choked answer.   
"Hakoda, why can't you just let him win?" sighed Kya with a smile.  
"Over my dead body!" her husband called back. Sokka, too, looked insulted by the very notion:  
"I don't need him to _let_ me win! I'm a warrior, Mom! I can do it by myself!"  
"Okay, just don't kill each other, you two warriors," Kya chuckled and sat back down.  
Suki joined her and the two watched in silence again. Then the Kyoshi warrior leaned to the tribeswoman and whispered:  
"10 copper pieces say Sokka wins."  
Kya turned to her and raised an eyebrow.  
"Are you asking me to bet against by son? No. 15 pieces say neither wins, but they both keep trying until they drop."  
Suki grinned:  
"Deal."  
Later that day, Suki begrudgingly handed Kya a handful of copper coins.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this mess!  
> Just a few notes:  
> \- the episode Southern raiders takes place before the Boiling rock in this universe  
> \- I've always found it weird that with how old Kanna was, she must have had Hakoda really late... so I gave him older brothers (and promptly took them away. I'm a monster)


End file.
